The mall was opened in 2005 and was heralded as the largest shopping center in the world with 659,612 square meters (7,100,000 sq ft) of space. According to CNN, the owners expected 100,000 visitors a day.

That didn't happen.

According to a report last year from Emporis, a global building data firm, the mall is virtually empty. "It has been classified as a 'dead mall'", the report states. An employee CNN spoke to claimed the mall had 20% occupancy.